1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to board games and more particularly to a board game for teaching the tragedies that may occur if substances such as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs are used or abused.
2. Description of Related Art
There are various board games that have been created to teach skills or moral lessons. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,134 issued to Burroughs, Jr. teaches a substance abuse board game apparatus and method of play. It educates the players about the consequences of the use of drugs and alcohol. It includes a game board having a playing path, a plurality of movable game pieces, a random number generator, a plurality of decks of question cards, a deck of penalty cards and a plurality of challenge tokens. The playing path is formed by a plurality of segments or spaces, each of which is provided with an identifying indicia corresponding to an identifying indicia of either one of the decks of question cards or the deck of penalty cards and a plurality of corner penalty segments. The playing path is a modified, substantially inwardly disposed spiral having an outer level, an intermediate level and an inner level. The outer level consists of a plurality of four different randomly disposed segments and the corner penalty spaces; the intermediate level consists of a plurality of five different randomly disposed segments and the corner penalty spaces; and the inner level consists of a plurality of six different randomly disposed segments and the corner penalty spaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,276,686 discloses a board game and method for teaching responsible drinking. It is for teaching responsible drinking to a plurality of players has a playing board having a start position and an end position connected by a pathway that extends about the surface of the playing board between the start position and the end position. The board game further includes a plurality of vehicle game pieces, each vehicle game pie being assigned to one of the plurality of players, and a plurality of a taxi game pieces. At least some of the playing positions provide an instruction, the instruction sometimes including a negative consequence of drinking instruction, or a cab calling instruction. The negative consequence of drinking instruction provides for some consequence having a negatively perceived effect upon the player who lands upon the playing position. The cab calling instruction allows the player to replace the vehicle game piece with the taxi game piece. The taxi game piece has the advantage of ignoring any of the negative consequence of drinking instructions upon which it might land, thereby teaching the players the desirability of calling a cab when a drinking.
The prior art shows various board games that teach moral lessons. However, the prior art does show games that simulate choices and consequences affecting game play and including the possibility of relapse.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an education game that demonstrates the costs and consequences of drug use.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an education game that demonstrates the costs and consequences of alcohol abuse especially drunk driving.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an education game that demonstrates the benefits of leading a clean life.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an education game that also demonstrates the possibility of relapse.
The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention are illustrative of those that can be achieved by the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages which can be realized. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned from practicing the invention, both as embodied herein or as modified in view of any variation which may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention resides in the novel methods, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.
In light of the present need for providing a game teaching the effects of drugs and alcohol on a persons life, a brief summary of the present invention is presented. Some simplifications and omission may be made in the following summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the present invention, but not to limit its scope. Detailed descriptions of a preferred exemplary embodiment adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention concepts will follow in later sections.
A game for simulating possible experiences of a player using drugs or alcohol is disclosed. The game includes a fast path having a plurality of playing spaces and a slow path parallel to the fast path and having a plurality of spaces. There are at least two slow path spaces corresponding to one fast path playing space. The game also includes a fast game piece for movement along the fast path and a slow game piece for movement along the slow path. A chance piece is used for determining the movement of either the fast game piece or slow game piece along either the fast path or slow path. At least one of the playing spaces is a chance playing space and provides a chance for the player to move from the fast path to the slow path and from using the fast game piece to the slow game piece.
The game also includes a user track simulating drug and/or alcohol use and a sobriety track. Both track include the fast path and the slow path described above. The playing spaces on the sobriety track can be a work space providing money to the player, a relapse space causing the player to move to the user track, or a winning space. The playing spaces on the user track can be a sobriety space causing the player to move to the sobriety track, a work space providing money to the player, or a chance space possible subjecting the player to a negative consequence of alcohol or drug use.